North Macedonia’s President Gordana Siljanovska-Davkova has condemned a recent incident involving hate speech during a basketball match between North Macedonia and Romania in the city of Kumanovo, calling it “shameful” and a misuse of sports arenas for political and ethnic provocation.
In a strongly worded social media statement, Siljanovska-Davkova described the verbal attacks during Saturday’s match—attended by ministers and the Prime Minister—as “poisonous, murderous words turned into projectiles,” and emphasized that such behavior must not be tolerated in any sport.
“The shame fell on everyone: the hosts, the club, the audience, the city, the state, and on sport itself,” she wrote. “We must oppose fan hate, cultivate supportive cheering, and fight prejudice and division.”
The President urged a national reflection on the responsibility of sports institutions, fans, and political leaders to prevent similar incidents, warning that silence would only contribute to the normalization of hate and intolerance.
The Albanian Basketball Federation has sent a formal letter to FIBA, the international basketball governing body, requesting concrete measures against what it described as behavior “contrary to the spirit of equality and respect promoted by sport.”
“Basketball should be a space of cooperation, dignity, and mutual respect—free of hate speech or discrimination in any form,” the Federation stated.
In response, FIBA announced it had opened an investigation into the Macedonian Basketball Federation and the events during the pre-qualifying match for the 2027 FIBA Basketball World Cup.
“FIBA unequivocally condemns hate speech and discriminatory or racist language in any form,” the organization said in a statement. “We are collecting all relevant reports and are coordinating closely with national federations, local authorities, and law enforcement.”
The Kumanovo incident is the latest in a series of disturbances that have marred sporting events in North Macedonia in recent years, including vandalism, physical altercations between fans, nationalist chants, and ethnic provocations. Authorities have vowed to sanction those responsible and reaffirmed their commitment to preventing future incidents.